The transfer student
by Velvet'smusicbox
Summary: Wally/Kuki
1. The glasses and pigtails

1: The glasses and the pigtails

"Mum, why are we moving?"

The Sanban family clustered the house, busily packing belongings in their suitcases, the furniture covered in clear plastic wrappers.

The eldest daughter, who had been folding her many sweaters, paused and raised the question. She beckoned to her mother through her bespectacled eyes and frowned slightly.

"Well, Kuki," her mother began. She gazed at her daughter and formed a smile. "You know that we're returning to our old home again. The one we lived in before we moved to your grandparents'.. remember? It's been 2 years now. I really miss the old place."

Kuki let out a sigh and nodded. She once again concentrated on the pile of clothing beside her, and took one article out.

She slowly fingered the familiar texture of the faded green sweater on her lap, blinking once, and fumbled with the loose thread that stuck out at the hem.

"I hope they still remember me. "

Kuki's POV

Mum isn't listening to me.

"Mum.."

I guess I can't blame her. The radio is awfully loud and I found it hard raising my voice.

"Mum.."

I slumped back onto my seat, giving up on trying to strike a conversation. There was this book I read last night.

"A guide to making friends in high school: overcoming shyness." And well, one of the ways to practise speaking up is by TALKING to someone you really know first, then gradually to strangers. It's quite hard, really.

I pushed my (poindexter) glasses up and stared out the window, watching the white lines on the hard ground blur and clash with the bitumen of the crackling road. My head rested on the window and I felt every tiny bump on the road throbbing against my forehead.

It used to be so easy. Being not shy, I mean. After moving to Nana's in Tokyo and leaving Sector V.. even though I was a Teens Next Door, I didn't feel like one. I couldn't do missions as a team. And it hurt me to know that they were all together, and I wasn't.

For some reason, when I started school in Japan, I became a rather quiet person. My sunny disposition was gone when I began missing them. There was no way to contact them and I never heard from anyone back in the States. Eventually my eyesight became worse from reading in the dark and I had to wear these thick glasses. I could still see, but kinda.

The car screeched loudly. Mum should be careful, she nearly hit the car in front. She honked loudly like the badass she was, and mumbled something indistinct. Then she turned to face me.

"Have fun in school, honey!"

She pecked me in the cheek and turned back to the steering wheel. I quickly got out and shut the door.

The sounds of giggling and emotional greetings reached my ears. I felt alone.

Glancing at the source of the sounds that made me unconveniently nostalgic, my fingers immediately reached for my hair that I tied in low pigtails earlier in the car.

Is this a weird get-up? Everyone has their hair down..

Taking a deep breath- one of the things that was written in the book-, I placed one converse sneaker in front of the other, and watched my feet flimsily squeak against the morning dew grass, trying hard to ignore the deadly butterflies roaming in my stomach.


	2. Harsh and foggy

Hoagie's POV

There was only one thing to do. Just go for it as fast as you can. Everything was at stake.

A blur of gold and orange whipped past me, and the wind slapped me across my face. Hard. Shock washed over me when I heard my best friend holler at the top of his lungs.

"HA! IN YOUR FACE, HOAGIE! I WON!"

My feet felt restless. How could it be? Just a couple of months ago, I beat him in every dang race we placed a bet on. And I always WON. I had the advantage of slightly longer legs than he did because he was the teeny tiny little unicorn in our group, so that was a big bonus. My eyes darted to his blond bed hair when I finally reached the doors and stood beside him.

Wow. He was definitely taller than me. He had grown a few inches during school break.

"Oi! What're you looking at?"

I snapped in my trance.

"Oh, no, just- just amazed at how tall you've become."

"YEAH AND THE FACT THAT I WON."

I chuckled loudly at the thought. I handed him a chilidog from my backpack.

"You sure, Hoags?"

"Yup. A bet is a bet."

I reached down for another chilidog and ate it. He mumbled a small thanks, and glazed his hidden eyes over to face forward.

It's funny. Seeing someone change drastically like that. I mean, you think you know them inside and out;but then they do something you would never even expect out of them. And you start questioning yourself.

A little off topic there. Woah. Since when did I get all philosophical? This is so weird. And hilarious! Wait till Wally hears thi-

"Dude,"

What the.

I snapped my head back to glare at him.

"Yes?" I replied through my gritted teeth, chili sauce smothered around my mouth. Man, I lost my train of thought. What joke was I about to geniusly invent again?

Wait, where'd he go? Oh.. he dashed off. Oh.

Oh.

Oh. My. Goodness.

Was that..

"..Kuki?"

Kuki's POV

I had never felt this uncomfortable moving around without having anything to busy my hands with.

I hated it.

It had to be done.

I quietly took out a thick book from my purple backpack and carefully zipped it closed. It felt like a crime to make a sound in the buzzing serenity I was in. A small sigh left my lips and escaped into the air as I hugged the book in an attempt to reassure my fragile self.

"Okay, Kuki, you can do this. I can do this."

Another deep breath. My eyes closed for a moment, and I stopped in my tracks. Distant memories flooded back. Of being with them. The days when we would laugh and cry and fight over the silliest things. I remembered Abby and Hoagie and Nigel and Wally. I never felt alone. But in this moment, that was all I felt.

"Ugh, who's this? New kid? Yikes, she's hideous."

Murmurs. Cackles.

I opened my eyes. A group of terrifyingly confident girls stood in front of me, blocking my path. What seemed to be the most saccharine of all stood smack in front wearing bubblegum pink all over.

"Didn't you hear me talk to you? No one ever ignores me, you idiot."

In a flash, my glasses were yanked off and thrown to the ground by perfectly manicured fingers. I collapsed with a strong shove and the book dropped from my arms. I could feel pain jolting in my body and my knee, where it lay in contact with the hard ground. The girls behind the owner of the voice laughed at her command and immediately their words attacked and hurt me more than the bruise ever did .

"She looks ridiculous!"

"Who does she think she is?"

"What an ugly mess, makes you wonder if her parents even loved her,"

"Her mom must be stupid to actually keep something as phony as her,"

The girl smirked.

I couldn't breathe. I had never felt more vulnerable in my life. I held my breath, trying not to cry. I promised myself to be strong. Why was I so darn weak? Why couldn't I fight back like I used to? Why wasn't I even a tiny bit strong anymore?

But through my misty eyes in a blur, all I could see was a hazy outline of a manicured middle finger posed into the air, cruel laughter emanating from their perfect cavities.

I blinked out the tears while desparately trying to grip my knee-length skirt. I shook and sniffled and trembled so much, I couldn't even grab hold of it anymore. I mustered up the last of my strength left to let my dirt-stained hands hold up my body. The sleeves of my blouse slipped below my wrists where it landed on the charred pavement.

"Knock it off. "

I lifted my head to make out a tall figure stomping towards us. My breath hitched. Was that..?

"Leave her alone."

The figure snarled at the girl, anger evident in his voice.

Another figure, slightly shorter,ran after him. The former's fist clenched tightly, but the other struggled to restrain him from his urge to sock the girl in the face and kick her stomach and gag her until she's hurt all over. He didn't know why but he seemed like he needed to do all those cruel things to her.

"Stop this cruddy bullshit and get out of here." His voice stung in the air, crisp and sharp. If it hadn't been for the final glare he gave them, the girls wouldn't have shrieked like mice and ran scurrying to the school doors. But the girl who started this mess crouched over next to me in obscurity. Hazy and confined, I felt her words bitterly whiplash my ears.

"This won't be the end. You were lucky to be saved. But next time, don't be so sure."

Then, I heard a small whisper elapse from her lips.

"I'm sorry,"

What? Why would she..

She retreated her glossed lips away from me before twisting her torso to face the boys.

"Oh, and Wally and Hoagie, I hope you regret this."

Then her heels clanged on the hard ground, the sound slowly dying as I breathed a sigh of relief.

I gulped. "I-I.."

"Kuki, are you alright?"

"Kooks,"

My glasses were fixed back into place by hands, rough but delicate. A warm breath hushed against my cheek. The sight of my two childhood friends came into view and my eyes widened. I had the strong desire to suffocate them in a crushing hug and just tell them that I was relieved and happy and .. out of breath..

"Wally.. Hoagie.."

Ignoring the irregularly quick rhythm that drummed against my chest, I tried to push myself up from the dire position I was in to approach them, but it was no use. My arms gave in to the wound; it weakened me. Scarlet streaks shone and flowed against my skin where I grazed my knee. I winced.

It hurt.

Then, the unexpected happened. One second I was on the ground, dying; and the next I was swiftly scooped up into none other than Wally's arms, and everything paused.

Then I was rushed into the school nurse's office like there was no tomorrow.


	3. Lost in translation

Chapter 3: Lost in translation?

Wally's POV

I couldn't bear seeing her like this. Scared, lost, confused.. was this really the Kuki I used to know?

She was there, on the ground. She looked so.. fragile and delicate... like a flower that could crumble any moment if you lost sight of it. But she was crumbling now..

Her eyes were wet behind those glasses, and her long hair.. it was tied in low pigtails.. but they were messy and frazzled, like she'd been thrown right into this mess. Then I caught sight of her knee. It bled horribly. The blood oozed out, and I could tell that it weakened her. That .. that cruddy girl did this to her. If it weren't for that icky girl, Kuki wouldn't be so .. hurt.

"Wally.. Hoagie.."

Kuki? It's okay, keep your breath.. you sound like you're lifeless..

Aren't you hurt?

No..no..

She can't get up..

I have to help her..

Then, before I knew it, I had her there, in my arms. And I looked at her. I could easily crush her in these ginormous hands, but I cradled her softly, because she was fragile. I was afraid. What if I lost her, like I did last time? I didn't stop her from leaving us for Japan. I regretted that. My feet worked itself, and it strode across the grounds, and into the halls. The students stared, startled, but I pushed on. Hoagie ran behind me. He wheezed and stomped. We both knew that we had to get her to the nurse's office, soon. The blood skimmed across my arm where her legs lay limp. Her breathing got slower..

Her fingers made their way to my orange food vest and she gripped it. Man, what was she thinking? Oh, her lips were .. shaking..

I searched her eyes, searched frantically for something.. some sign that I missed, but those hazel brown eyes were shut tight behind those foreign glasses. I knew that it was just a wound. Just a wound. But I couldn't help but worry over it. She was so delicate. How could I not?

"Wally.."

Yes? What was it, Kuki? It's okay, we're almost there, I can see the door..

Her eyelids slowly lifted to reveal those eyes I had waited for, but they shone differently now with a different mist.

"Thank you.."

I slammed the door open.

"Please, she fell outside and her knee is bleeding,"

Hoagie came in through the door as well, wheezing, and turned to face me.

"Where's Mrs. Crowley?"

He asked with a huff, and he knew the answer, gesturing me to put kuki down.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Crowley?"

"Yes, Gilligan?" A middle aged lady appeared from behind a partition that I hadn't noticed before. She smiled agedly and scanned the room, and her eyes finally set on Kuki.

"Oh my.. Lay her down on the bed,Beatles." she demanded while taking the first aid kit from the table beside her. She had a sense of calmness and kindness that only came from loving grandmothers, and it lessened the panic I withheld in me.

Kuki slid off of my arms and onto the tiny blue bed. Her wound was being tended to, with Hoagie helping the nurse and telling her what happened. I sat on a chair beside the bed, and watched Kuki. Her eyes caught mine and I turned away. I guess she did, too.

"Okay, it should get better in a day or two, so wear this bandage for a while, alright, dear," the nurse smiled kindly to Kuki.

"I'm Kuki Sanban, nice to meet you. And th-thank you," she managed to croak.

"Thank you," I said.

She gave another warm smile.

"Alright now, you'd better hurry! Your classes started 5minutes ago,"

The three of us looked at each other, and Hoagie and I took Kuki's arms and supported her body to the hallways.

Hoagie's POV

"So, Kuki, what are you having now?" I asked her as we reached the lockers. The halls were empty, obviously. Everyone was in class. We took our time though, and steadily walked our way through. We knew Kuki couldn't walk much. She winced every time she took a step.

"Um.. E-English...?" She fumbled clumsily, trying to remember her schedule. Funny. I've never seen her stutter like this before.

The two of us lightened up.

"We're having English too!"

She grinned widely.

"That's awesome."

We finally reached the class, and opened the doors.

"Beatles, Gilligans, you are late,"

The class stared at us. I doubt they even blinked. Of course, they either saw what happened out there what with the cat fight and all, or what happened in the hallways when Wally carried Kuki off like a lover running off with the bride from the altar. Or even both.

We made our way to our seats at the back of the class. Kuki sat between Wally and I, as all the other seats were taken. Pays to be on time. But it was fine because we could avoid the looks.

"Kuki Sanban?"

The teacher called out adamantly, as the whole class turned their heads to face us.

The voice beside me whispered a yes.

"I was just telling the class about you. You are from Japan, I see?"

"Oh, um, I.. umm.. lived here.. bef- umm.."

Her voice shrivelled, and she watched her fingers fiddle as she gulped.

I noticed the teacher straining his ears.

Kuki was so quiet.

"I couldn't hear you, Sanban. What did you say?"

As Kuki opened her mouth to speak, another voice interrupted.

"Mr. Perry, I think what she's saying is that she can't speak. And stupid. I haven't heard her say a word the whole day. She probably can't understand you."

"Oh ho! Nice one, Leigh!"

I saw Kuki grip her skirt tightly. I looked at Wally, who looked at me back.

We mouthed to each other over her head.

"Should we beat them up?"

"I really wanna but.."

"But what?"

"Kuki should fight her own fights. I know she can handle this. She's strong."

"But she's a cruddy sheila! How can she fight?"

Then, we saw Kuki tremble. She shook. Real bad. I couldn't tell if she was fuming, or if she was horribly anxious. Wally and I gave each other another look in the eyes, and we both tapped on Kuki's shoulder. She startled herself, and looked at Wally, then to me.

We both smiled at her, and she smiled back through shaky lips and quivering sighs.

"I can do this." She whispered.

"I can do this."


	4. The notebook

The wind slipped slowly, rippling the grass and whipping the pavement that led to the school doors. A fight occurred earlier that day in that exact same spot. But it was over now. The boy carried her in.

A dark-skinned girl dressed clad in bubblegum pink all over, glanced through the yard for any passers by, and when she found no one, she slipped off her painful heels and took hold of them in her fingers. She tip toed back to the place where she had shoved a girl to the ground, where she had lost the fight. She had no idea who that new girl was, but she was awfully familiar, like someone she'd been dying to see again.

Again?

When she pulled out the girl's glasses, shock overcame her that she accidentaly threw the glasses away.

It was her best friend. She didn't want to hurt the person she had taken so much time caring for. But by then a crowd had formed around her. And she had a reputation she couldn't lower. She didn't want to.. but Leigh pushed her and made Kuki fall to the ground. She didn't mean to.. honest. She tried to stop but the crowd asked for more.. and if she blew her cover.. it would be over. All the effort she sacrificed herself for would be pathetic.

She made a rude gesture then. She regretted doing things like that. Cursing, swearing.. hurting.

That wasn't Abby. That wasn't Abby at all.

She then had to tell Kuki to back off. And be all sassy and bitchy.. but she hated doing that. But.. she said sorry on impulse. She had been doing it for so long, no one could tell she was acting. Pretending. Oh, but the sorry was real.

Her bare feet slid through the now sun basked grass, the distant laughter now ringing in her ears again. She knew she had class now, but she always came a wee bit late, to appear unobedient. She pulled her skirt slightly downwards; it was too damn short and Leigh said it was for the boys. I mean, her panties were so apparent, it was embarrassing! But she wasn't all for the boys. She knew her friends were more important. Her friends.. who doesn't see her as one of them anymore. Hoagie, Wally, Nigel and.. Kuki. She swore she was doing the right thing by changing herself completely. At least that's what they promised. But she couldn't risk endangering her friends.

Thud.

A book?

Her toes touched a purple book that lay soft on the grass, like it had been laid there instead of an accompaniment of the fallen. She bent down and picked it up.

"Dang, it's heavy!"

She fingered the black cover that smelled of warmth and loneliness, and a wave of recognition washed over her.

It was Kuki's.

A picture fell through the pages and landed on her empty palm. Childhood memories. All captured in one moment of time.

Abby shed a tear unconsciously.


End file.
